Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-26
WHITE WIT AGAINST RED !.
How Joe Wagner Paralyzed an Ambitious
Young Indian.

Young IndIan.
New York Star.
Reckon you know the old Red Cloud
agency. to the northwest of Fort Lara
mieY queried Joe Wagner. the Iudian
fighter, as he was asked TO narrate one of
his adventures.
eyes"
"WelI, still to the northeast of that is
the Spotted Tail Agency, provided that
the Indian Agents haven't stolen it.
Through these two reservations runs
bit of a river called the Niobrara, and at
a big bend midway between the two
agencies I sot myself down to do some
trapping. It was the first or second year
after the agencies were established and
the redskins forced to live upon them,
and the whole lot of them were in can
tankerous from Sunday morning to
Saturday night. War parties were sneak
ing off the reservations now and then, to
sneak back when the pursuit became too
hot, and the red devils left at home
thought no more of killing a white hunt
er than you would of kicking chip out
of your way.
81 went to hunt and trap because 1t was
a great game region, butt realized all the
periIs. I knew that if I was discovered by
the Indians I'd be wiped out iustanter. L
Omitted at Larimie with a mule, provis-
ions and traps, and was ten or leven days
gettin to the bend in the river 1 had
spoken of. The first thing was to corral
the mule in safe place, and the next to GO
into camp about mile away and leave as
few traces of my presence as possible
I didn't see any Indian signs around there
but I did not let that fact make me over
confident. have been struck with rattle
snake when / did not think there was one
within ten miles. made me a comfortable
shelter of limbs and brush, got fftysix
traps into the river and some dead-falls
set, and had begun to feel bit easier IN
my mind, when, on the third day after my
arrival, l secuted out to see if the mule
was all right, / found him dead. His throat
was cut from ear to ear, and, by the great
horn spoon it was the work of a red-skin
He had not only cut the animals throat
clear across, but had cut and slashed the
body in fifty places. IN the sign language
of the Indian that meant contempt for
the owner o. the mule. It meant for me
to look out for myself.It meant war to
the knife on the white man who had dared
trcspass upon the forbidden ground.
If had been fool inf to go walking
around in search of the mule, the chap
wasn't YOU see went glidingabout like
a sarpint, and from, the edge of a thicket
saw the body OF the mule lying IN little
glade. That there was an Indian near by
ready to draw a bead on me had nc
doubt. and the idea didn't rattle me as
much as you might suppose. reasoned
that if there were two reds they would
have run the mule off instead of killing
him. believed that there was only one, ane
that he was some young warrior who wa;
ambitious to match cunning with me, ano
who wanted the honor of having out-ger
erald me. That tickled me a bit. [ don't
want to do any boasting, but I've lived
in the Indian country all my life, and II
never happened that a redsk1n got very
far ahead Of me as any body knows of
It was about ten in the morning when
got my gentle hint. From the looks OF
the body [ jadged the mule had been
killed that very morning. This made 1t
pretty clear that the red-skin had not
yet discovered my shelter. Otherwise he
would have attended to my case first
My first care was to get out of the
neigborhood without leaving any trail land
then to build a small fire mile or SO
from my camp, apd cut down brush and
build dec0y camp. The fire L used tic
cook my breakfast had been built in e
hole in the ground, and carefully ex-
tinguished when it had answered my pur-
pose. The red would smell the smoke OF
this fire half mile away, and [ chuckled
as I thought of him skulking around there
and waiting for man about my size to
come in and be bored with bullet.
THE next move was to strike the river
just where the savage would hit 1T If
looking for my traps. 1t was guess-work,
of course, but l surveyed the ground, put
his head on my shoulders for half an
hour, and when i waded back | was In
ambush in a bunch of willows, and he
would have to show himself to get to me.
| reasoned that he would find the fire and
the counterfeit camp by seven O'Clock.
He would hang around there until about
two before he gave up looking for me.
Then he would slide for the river, hoping
to pick me up as [ sat on the ground
pulling the pelts off my catch. had been
in position over an hour, and was begin
ming to wish the climax would come,
when sudden thought lifted me foot
high, and inside of minute was snak
ing my way down the stream. 1t struck
me all in a heap that I had reasoned
wrong. The red-skin wouldn't come my
way at ALL nor come through the woods,
but would go further up the river and
come floating down along the right bank,
which was heavily shaded, and in the
shadow. | came to stand about a
quarter of mile below the ambush, and
IN one of the small bends of the stream.
could now see up the river clear to the
spot | had vacated, and what do you sup
pose happened inside of ten minutes?
Well, sir, that Indian came floating down
at the end of an old log, and when he
reached the point opposite where [ had
waited to ambush him he rose up, picked
his rifle off the log and waded ashore,
drawing the log after him, and landing
it. Then he softly crept into the willows
snd if l had been waiting in the old spot
he would have had my back to him, and /
would have been a goner. The cuss had
reasoned it out for himself. He had dis
covered that the camp was bogus. He
had reasoned that would lay for him
just where 1 did. Then, to beat me at
my game, he had gone up the stream and
hoated down to take me in the rear.
Sharp Indian, he was, but there
was party by the name of
Joe Wagner in that neighborhood,